Unethical Speeding Ticket
I was driving west bound down a residential street. The street is posted at 50KM. When I saw the cop sitting on the right, behind a large tree, I immediately looked down at my speedometer and it read 60 to 62 KM/h, I then instinctively hit my brakes and looked at the cop who was reaching over the steering wheel to put the car into gear. The cop put on the lights and, I pulled over immediately. While I waited for her to come up to my side window, I presume she was running my plate, I gathered all the appropriate documentation for her. She eventually came up to the driver side window and asked me what the rush was. No rush I said, just on my way to work. She told me that I was doing 74KM in a 50KM zone, I said thats not possible as I know that I wasnt going that fast, to which she said I had you on radar. I asked to see the radar and she said that she wasnt obligated to do so and that it has been reset. Now you walk a very fine line here between arguing your case and being a dick, (the perception of the cop). So I didnt want to be a dick and stopped my argument until court, even though I know I wasnt going 50% above the posted speed limit.
I know there was no radar involved because when I drove past her she wasnt putting down any radar gun, she was putting her car in gear. She went back to her car fr a while, then came back and said that she reduced my ticket to 15KMs over, no points and a $50 fine, she repeated this three times, which was enough to make it seem odd. She also pointed out Code: R 74 and told me that if I do decide to fight this ticket it will be fought at 74KM/h and not 65KM/h … Im starting to think she is just telling me to pay this and move on.
So based on principle alone I want to fight this ticket because I know that I wasnt speeding, 100%. I have a clean driving record for like 10 years and I am not an aggressive driver.
Whats to stop a cop near the end of the month (quota) from pulling over some poor sap, mainly me, and saying I caught you going… ahh … 74, but I will reduce the ticket so that there are no points and only a fine. The cop looks good because it looks as though she is being nice to me, and the cop looks good as she fills her quota … win win for the cops.
Should I fight or just pay and say the hell with it ??? Even though it doesnt count on my driving record it still may count on my insurance somewhere down the road, who knows right … and whos to say I dont get a major infraction within 6 months where this ticket is the one that sets me over the edge.